Footwear has direct effects on the development of children's feet. Inappropriate footwear can cause physical problems that may stay with a child into adulthood. Many of the children's shoes on the market are miniature versions of adult shoes, which are known in the fashion industry as “takedowns”. Although these little shoes may have been modified in the fit and styling to make it appropriate for a child's foot, they are not designed specifically for children from scratch and therefore, fail to meet the special needs of children. Growing children have, for example, three characteristics associated with their feet and special needs for their footwear resulting from such characteristics.
With regard to the first characteristic, a proper fit in shoes is essential for children's ability to walk, run and play in comfort. Damage can be done to the feet of growing children if the children wear improperly or poorly fitting shoes such as continuing to wear shoes that they have already outgrown. Unfortunately, little children, for example, those under 3-years old, may not be able to tell when their shoes are getting tight. Older children, for example, 6-year-olds may not let their parents know that their favorite pairs of sneakers are starting to hurt. Usually adults can determine the fit of shoes only by pressing the toe boxes to see whether there is appropriate room in that area when the children are wearing the shoes. However, such determination is hardly reliable, especially when the toe boxes are stiff. Therefore, the principal problem in obtaining and maintaining proper fit in children's shoes stem from the difficulty of knowing the exact position of the outside perimeter of the toes when the foot is in the shoe.
Prior attempts have been made in the art to address this fitting problem by providing children's footwear with a transparent area on the upper or bottom of the footwear for visual sizing, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,773 describes a shoe provided with at least one transparent area in the shoe bottom along with fitting indices to enable comparison of the outline of a foot in the shoe to the fitting indices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,988 describes a shoe having a transparent area that is placed within the outsole and extends at least over about the front third of the outsole. The front part of the transparent area serves as a support for calibrated markings.
WO 01/93712 A1 describes footwear which includes an outsole and at least one substantially transparent window disposed in the outsole.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0009907 describes a shoe having a window portion associated with the upper portion for allowing viewing of a foot inserted into the shoe, and a reference mark associated with the insole liner for indicating proper fit.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0025373 describes a shoe having a window portion associated with the upper portion for allowing viewing of a foot inserted into the shoe, and a tab portion for covering and uncovering the window portion.
However, none of the above described transparent areas in the footwear for visual sizing are particularly successful or acceptable. Transparent areas located in the shoe bottom or outsole do not allow determination of the fit of a shoe when the wearer is standing up, whereas those transparent areas located in the shoe upper inevitably interfere with the anesthetic and protective properties of the upper. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which allows visual fitting of the shoe without interfering with the anesthetic and protective properties of the shoe.
With regard to the second characteristic, children's feet grow fast and therefore, shoes of increasing sizes need to be purchased frequently to keep up with the pace of the growth of the feet. Frequent purchasing of shoes for children is not only costly but also time-consuming. To avoid frequent purchasing of shoes, many parents purchase shoes in larger sizes or have their children continue to wear the shoes that have been outgrown. Consequently, the children often times wear improperly or poorly fitting shoes, which may not only affect the children's athletic performance but also cause medical problems associated with the feet.
Some attempts have been made to solve the problem by adding adjustable sizing systems to children's athletic shoes, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,874 describes an athletic shoe having a sizing member attached to the upper at the rear end of the shoe. The sizing member includes a preformed weakened separation line. The sizing member can be selectively positioned within or outside of the shoe and can be completely removed from the shoe by tearing or cutting off the sizing member at the preformed weakened separation line.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,707 describes an athletic shoe having a sizing system attached to the upper at the rear end of the shoe. The sizing system includes a first sizing element and a second sizing element which are removably attached together. At least one of the first and second elements is removably attached to the shoe upper. The sizing system allows a wearer to wear the shoes in three different effective lengths.
However, the above described sizing member and sizing system are not fully satisfactory. Once the sizing member or system described above is separated from the shoe by breaking the preformed separation line, it can not be reattached to the shoe when the wearer later feels that the shoe is still too big without the sizing member or system. In order to wear the shoe without the sizing member or system while avoiding permanent separation of the sizing member or system from the shoe and being able to use the sizing member again when needed, the wearer has to leave the sizing member or system at a position outside of the shoe, which is not only anesthetically undesirable but also may interfere with the wear's activities. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which allows convenient and reversible adjustment of the effective size of the shoe to extend the effective life of the footwear.
With regard to the third characteristic, children's footwear is usually soft and pliable to avoid discomfort and constraints on children's feet. However, such soft and pliable materials of the shoes do not properly protect the children from injuries caused by hard objects such as pebbles and rocks, which are commonly present on parks, campgrounds and other outdoor spaces that children often go. When stepped on, such hard objects may cause considerable pain and, even worse, injuries to the child's foot.
Insoles capable of withstanding penetration of nails and other sharp objects have been developed in the prior art, for example, as described in the following prior art references:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,663 describes a laminated protective sole including a plurality of stacked fibrous laminates impregnated with synthetic resin, and a synthetic resin bond extending through all laminates over a minor area of the inner sole for retaining the laminates in stacked relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,255 describes a puncture resistant insole for boots and other shoes. The puncture resistant insole includes multiple layers of a tightly woven, puncture resistant fabric, formed from high tensile strength synthetic or polymeric fibers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,803 describes a puncture resistant insole which is constructed of a substantially flexible, substantially puncture resistant material, such as polymer fibers. The perimeter of the insole is curved upward, and includes a plurality of substantially v-shaped notches therein to enhance flexibility of the insole.
However, all of the above described insoles are designed for adult shoes and more specifically for heavy duty adult shoes, such as safety shoes for workers on manufacturing, construction and demolition sites. These prior art protective insoles are usually stiff, heavy and complex in constructions and therefore, will not be suitable for children, who usually involve in lighter activities and require higher flexibility and softness in their shoes to provide comfort and facilitate athletic performance. Therefore, there remains a need for children's footwear which provides protection from injuries by hard objects without diminishing the comfort of the child's foot or interfering with the child's activities.
In summary, there remains a need for an object of footwear which is specifically designed for children and meets all of the above described special needs for children's footwear without any of the above described disadvantages in the prior art. The present invention provides an article of footwear which is specifically designed for children. More specifically, the shoe according to the present invention not only allows adults to visually determine whether it proper fits the child but can also be adjusted in its effective size when it is determined that the shoe has become too small, such that the effective life of the shoe can be extended. Additionally, the shoe according to the present invention optionally includes a protective plate to provide protection from injuries by hard objects.